Teenagers Reflect on How Their Worlds Changed During the Pandemic
Ask students: Who appears in this video and where are they from? What are some ways teenagers in the video think about the past year?
Teenagers in a Changing World
Read the summary, watch the video and answer the discussion questions below. To view the full video and transcript, click here.
For teenagers, this year of quarantine and remote school forced an unprecedented experiment in learning and coping. We asked our network of student journalists to reflect on how their worlds changed and what they’re looking forward to once the pandemic is over.
- Many of the teenagers interviewed for this piece described longing for all the things they missed, including sports and the freedom to drive anywhere.
- Some also said that the last year has made them more humble or more empathetic.
Discussion Questions
- Who appears in this video and where are they from?
- What are some ways teenagers in the video think about the past year?
- When and Where are schools reopening?
- Why do some interviewed describe becoming more empathetic during the past year?
- How has the pandemic affected teenagers differently around the country?
Focus Questions
- Looking back on the past year, what was the most important change in your life?
- Do you think this experience has made you a different person in any way?
Media Literacy: Where do you think the producers of this piece found the teenagers to talk to?
Dig Deeper: It’s been a year since schools began to close as part of COVID restrictions. As a bookend to the video above, you may want to watch this video from Student Reporting Labs that asks students similar questions about life under COVID, but from the perspective of the pandemics early weeks:
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Extra.
PBS NewsHour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories.
